Nasa's LADEE Moon probe lifts off

[Rick]

Nasa's LADEE Moon probe lifts off

The unmanned LADEE probe lifted off from the Wallops rocket facility on the US east coast on schedule at 23:27 local time (03:27 GMT on Saturday).

Its $280m (£180m) mission is to investigate the very tenuous atmosphere that surrounds the lunar body.

It will also try to get some insights on the strange behaviour of moondust, which appears on occasions to levitate high above the surface.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23939448

[mickw]

Cool pic of the liftoff

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130911.html

[Rick]

NASA Spacecraft Begins Collecting Lunar Atmosphere Data

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is ready to begin collecting science data about the moon.

On Nov. 20, the spacecraft successfully entered its planned orbit around the moon's equator -- a unique position allowing the small probe to make frequent passes from lunar day to lunar night. This will provide a full scope of the changes and processes occurring within the moon's tenuous atmosphere.

LADEE now orbits the moon about every two hours at an altitude of eight to 37 miles (12-60 kilometers) above the moon's surface. For about 100 days, the spacecraft will gather detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere and determine whether dust is being lofted into the lunar sky.

More: http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasa-spacecraft-begins-collecting-lunar-atmosphere-data/

[Rick]

NASA Satellite to Continue Gathering Data Up to Planned Lunar Impact

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft is gradually lowering its orbital altitude to continue making science observations prior to its planned impact on the moon's surface on or before April 21.

Ground controllers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., are maneuvering the spacecraft to fly approximately 1 to 2 miles (2 to 3 kilometers) above the lunar surface to gather science measurements at the lowest altitude possible.

A final maneuver will ensure a trajectory that will cause LADEE to impact the far side of the moon, which is not in view of Earth or near any previous lunar mission landings. Ground controllers have little room for error with LADEE's navigation system and, at these low orbital altitudes, a small error could mean the difference between continuing to orbit above the lunar surface and impacting it. Because of this, the team does not intend to target a specific impact location on the moon's surface.

More: http://www.nasa.gov/ames/nasa-satellite-to-continue-gathering-data-up-to-planned-lunar-impact/

[Rick]

NASA Completes LADEE Mission with Planned Impact on Moon's Surface

Ground controllers at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., have confirmed that NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft impacted the surface of the moon, as planned, between 9:30 and 10:22 p.m. PDT Thursday, April 17.

LADEE lacked fuel to maintain a long-term lunar orbit or continue science operations and was intentionally sent into the lunar surface. The spacecraft's orbit naturally decayed following the mission's final low-altitude science phase.

During impact, engineers believe the LADEE spacecraft, the size of a vending machine, broke apart, with most of the spacecraft's material heating up several hundred degrees – or even vaporizing – at the surface. Any material that remained is likely buried in shallow craters.

More: http://www.nasa.gov/ames/nasa-completes-ladee-mission-with-planned-impact-on-moons-surface/